Mish’s Condition
March 4th, 2009Still Kicking
Here is a post from Mish Weiss’s blog, written by her friend Marc:
Mish is not in a coma, she remains in critical condition.
She responds to touch and sound.
All we can do now is wait and pray.
You can probably guess how much I know about leukemia. I know a lot of leukemia patients die from hemorrhaging. They even get hemorrhages inside their eyes, causing temporary blindness. I don’t know how much doctors can do to control it. I’m hoping they have an effective way to put a stop to it.
Here’s part of a comment from her blog:
You know, G_d told Moses to raise his hands over the children of Israel (sorry I don’t recall all the details of why, but I think it was to bless them and keep them safe). Anyway, Moses obeyed G_d and had his hands raised, but he got so tired he could no longer keep them raise, so two friends, Aaron and I don’t know the other friends name, came along side him and held his arms up for him. (I think I need to study that again.) My point is, you are like Moses, a strong, brave Jewish person, but you are so tired that it is difficult for you to continue to carry on, so your friends, a big crowd of us, have come along side you to encourage you, and to help you carry on and to pray for you. That’s our job for right now. Your job is to just let us be your friends, to love you, to care for you, to pray for you. Mish you are a Moses.
I have had exactly the same thought. I believe many Old Testament stories were planned by God, to provide symbolism and foreshadowing. This story seems to be symbolic of the need for believers to stand together. A single person can’t pray 24 hours a day, and even if it were possible, people fail. So we are supposed to share our challenges and close the chinks in the armor.
I have a more positive outlook toward marriage these days, and the main reason is that Christianity is a tough burden for a single person to bear. When you feel weak or you go astray, you have no one to turn to except God. When you’re not praying, no one is praying for you. Two believers together can help each other stay on the path. It would have been a lot harder for me to leave the church almost 20 years ago, had I been married to a believer.
I value my autonomy, and women are often selfish, annoying, spoiled, and just unprofitable. Very often, a wife is a net negative, not unlike a tapeworm. But I have to believe that the same God who can bring peace to a torn-up family can make a marriage work.
I think the Internet can be a tremendous weapon, to help Christians join in purpose. Look at all the prayer requests that go up on this blog. Having a dozen or a hundred praying for you is certainly better than praying alone.
The same reader who posted the above comment said she had awakened in the middle of the night with Mish on her heart. That keeps happening to me, too, and it seems like it’s always at around 1:20 a.m. I hope it means something.
Let me mention another Aaron. My friend Aaron has just had a crisis. His wife had chest pains, and they put a stent in one of her arteries. It looks like she’s okay, but they have both decided they really need to change their diets and exercise regularly. I hope you’ll pray that her condition improves and that they’ll succeed in their efforts. Like I told Aaron, the Orthodox diet is not known for promoting health or longevity. They’ll have to get used to some real changes.
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March 4th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Aaron and Hur held moses’ arms. He was praying to help them defeat Amalek. Amalek is basically Islam, today. The symbolism is thick. You should speak with PascalM who is a legitimate scholar on the subject.
March 4th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Aaron has given me the whole spiel.
March 4th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
I hope and pray all the best for her.
March 4th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
We’ve been praying for Mish, and I hope she recovers from the hemorrhaging soon.
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On “Moses’ Arm’s as imagery for support from/by believers” I heartily agree. The search for imagery (or “archetypes”) can sometimes be taken to unsupportable extremes (mostly by theologians). But this one seems pretty straight forward, and besides, I like it.
March 5th, 2009 at 2:24 am
“Very often, a wife is a net negative, not unlike a tapeworm. But I have to believe that the same God who can bring peace to a torn-up family can make a marriage work.”
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(imho) Marriage is the second most important decision you make in your life, Steve. I am glad you take it so seriously. Some people get married after knowing a person for about a week. That’s like choosing your life’s occupation (or career) in Kindergarten and then being held to that promise for the rest of your life.
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She’s definitely got to be (above ALL else) G_d centered, G_d first and Judeo-Christian. The hard part is determining if that’s the case. I’ve met many people who initially seem that way and really are not.
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I’ve become a firm believer in ‘friends first’ (and for a VERY long time) before a romantic relationship can even start. Even then, ‘Consumating’ a romantic relationship should happen only after REALLY getting to know if your gf/fiancé’s expectations in a long term relationship match your own. In my own meager experiences, I have found that as soon as things get carnal (usually prematurely), the rules change completely and I find myself looking into the eyes of a woman I didn’t really know (obviously, things happened too soon). Perhaps even waiting until after marriage (for physical intimacy) may be the best approach.
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Yea, it’s the blue balls of steel way of dealing with the issue, but I have seen far too much misery in ‘relationships’. Thank goodness I’m older and the fires don’t burn as hot. Perhaps, with younger guys and gals, having a ‘friend with benefits’ may be a way to slake their thirst. But quite frankly, I think it will disqualify that friendship as a long term relationship as physical intimacy has been shared too soon, thus putting a major distortion on the other and more important parts of the relationship.
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I guess there is wisdom in the old fashioned custom of marrying ‘the girl next door’.
March 5th, 2009 at 2:37 am
I really am taken aback by Mish’s condition. It seems hope is being stymied at every turn of events.
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I am glad that she is surrounded by people who care about her – both close friends and us netizens who have befriended her from the ether. She is dealing with one of the most frightening experiences that life has to offer.
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I have hope that we are giving her strength and fortitude by our presence in her life.
March 5th, 2009 at 9:48 am
I suggest Aaron take a look at “The Maker’s Diet” as most, if not all of it, is compatible with keeping kosher.
March 5th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
This Shabbos, we have an extra Torah reading, which always comes on the Shabbos before Purim. It’s called Shabbos Zachor, where we re-read the passage about Amalek and the positive commandment to wipe them out. Amalek is the descendant of both Ishmael and Esau. When Esau unites with Arabs, it’s bad news.
Would religious people who consider themselves not antisemitic join God in helping fulfill this commandment? How would they answer to Him their refusal?
Are we ready to slay evil if that’s what God commands? If not, ask yourself why?
Thanks for the recommendation about “The Maker’s Diet” and the well-wishes. The 40-day gimmick is definitely Bible-based, 40 representing transformation.
My wife’s father was a baker and lived to 80. Her brother, also a baker, died of a heart attack at the age of 50. My wife is grateful for having had the chest pains, Divine “taps on the shoulder”, so-to-speak, to tell her to take care of herself. Our kids are on board with the changes that will come, too, as they’d like for us to be around to be happy healthy grandparents someday.
I recently was reading Exodus 16 and came across the passage “Speak unto them, saying: At dusk ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.” 11 years ago I dropped weight and cholesterol on Atkins. My kryptonite is baked goods, most of all baked stuff with cheese (pasta, pizza). I do well when I finish my baked stuff by lunch and have veggies and lean meat for the rest of the day. I’d fallen off that path and have gained weight for the last 7-8 years.
I know I’m happier when I’m eating according to Exodus 16. If you read it, you’ll see that stuff doesn’t go well for Jews who complain about that diet. http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0216.htm On the Sabbath, we will splurge a little and have yummy stuff in moderation. Nothing in the Bible espouses asceticism. In fact, a sin offering is demanded of a Nazirite who temporarily deprives himself of permitted pleasures in the effort to change his character.
March 6th, 2009 at 1:56 am
“In fact, a sin offering is demanded of a Nazirite who temporarily deprives himself of permitted pleasures in the effort to change his character.”
Hmmm… would that be to ward against hubris? I wonder…